With the first three rounds of the French Open now complete, it won’t be wrong to say that Juan Manuel Cerundolo was the dark horse of the tournament. There weren’t many expectations around the Argentine when he entered the tournament, but he turned that around by bringing Jannik Sinner’s 30-match winning streak to an end and followed it up with another dramatic victory over Martin Landaluce in the third round. However, it appears that the fatigue from these two matches is starting to get to the 24-year-old.

“Hahahaha I can’t take it anymore, 6 hours what a madness. Super happy, thanks to everyone for the support. Time to sleep to see if we make it to the round of 16 on one leg,” he wrote on X.

The severely hot conditions in Paris have taken a toll on several players so far in the tournament and could have also played a role in Cerundolo’s increasing fatigue. The first week saw temperatures go as high as 33°C during the afternoon, making playing a five-set match exhausting both physically and mentally. Although Cerundolo has persisted well so far, he will aim for a straight-set victory in the next match to get enough rest before the quarterfinal clash. 

Cerundolo’s hard-fought 6-4, 6-7, 7-6, 6-7, 7-6 victory over Landaluce came after five hours and 58 minutes. He has been involved in over 10 hours of action on the clay-courts of Paris in the first three rounds. Notably, the five-set marathon between Cerundolo and Landaluce was the third-longest match to be played at Roland Garros since 1996. The record currently stands at six hours and 33 minutes, the duration of the first-round clash between Arnaud Clement and Fabrice Santoro at the 2004 French Open.

The match between Cerundolo and Landaluce went on for so long, mainly due to the four tiebreakers that took place. While three of them were pretty straightforward and saw one player dominate, the last one was dramatic to say the least.

Leading 8-6 in the deciding tiebreaker, the 20-year-old Landaluce stood on the verge of a monumental triumph. However, Cerundolo defied all the odds by clinching the next four points in a row. This saw him win the tiebreaker 10-8 and clinch his third victory at the Roland Garros.

This is now Cerundolo’s best run at the Grand Slam, surpassing his second-round appearance last year, where Hamad Medjedovic had defeated him in straight sets. The three consecutive wins in Paris have ensured that the Argentine will break into the top 50 for the first time. Having entered the tournament as No. 56, he is already up 12 spots at No. 44 with 1,055 points under his belt on the ATP Live rankings.

The 24-year-old has already had a remarkable clay swing. He had clinched his first title of the year at the Challenger event in Bordeaux earlier this month and is now on an impressive run at the French Open. His next opponent in the tournament will be a player who has also reached the stage following a mentally draining five-set battle in the third round.

Juan Manuel Cerundolo set to take on Matteo Berrettini at the French Open

Cerundolo has been drawn against Italy’s Matteo Berrettini in the fourth round. The latter comes into this match after defeating Francisco Comesana 7-6, 5-7, 6-7, 6-4, 7-6 in the previous round. He had also had a tense four-set clash against Marton Fucsovics in the opening round.

Like Cerundolo, Berrettini was also on the cusp of defeat at one stage during his match against Comesana. He had gone on to save two match points during the tiebreaker in the final set. He would eventually clinch the tiebreaker 15-13 to win the match after a grueling five hours and 13 minutes.

It is safe to say that both Cerundolo and Berrettini have had incredibly tiring starts to the tournament. The two may not even be in the best shape as they prepare for their clash that is scheduled to take place at Court Suzanne-Lenglen on Monday.

Will Cerundolo be able to continue his dream run at the Roland Garros, or will Berrettini go on to secure his second quarterfinal berth on the clay-courts of Paris? We will have to wait and watch.